Lynne O'Neill

Lynne O'Neill was born Elaine Jose Nolan in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 8, 1918. Her father, Allan Nolan, was a house painter, and her mother Josephine, a cafeteria waitress. The Nolan family moved to Evanston, Illinois, where they lived on Elmwood Avenue and later on 522 Lee Street during the 1930s. O'Neill attended Evanston Township High School and graduated in June, 1935. Beginning at an early age she attended dance classes, particularly ballet, which she kept up after graduating from high school. During World War II O'Neill toured several Midwestern states as an entertainer for the United Service Organizations (USO). After the war, in June, 1947, she matriculated to Northwestern University's School of Speech Summer Session. In the following years she continued performing as a model and stage performer.